Clinching anvil for stapling machines



smza H94Q. KIRBY CLINCHING ANYIL FOR STAPLING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed March 20, 1945 Sept. 6,, M49. w, KlRBY 2,481,023

CLINCHING ANVIL FOR STAPLING MACHINES Original Filed March 20, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MG Mai 32.

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Patented Sept. 6, 1949 cnmcnmc ANVIL FOR STAPLING MACHINES Wilfred Kirby, London, England, assignor to Vickers-Armstrongs Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain Continuation of application Serial No. 583,791, March 20, 1945. This application December 26, 1946, Serial No. 718,401.

3 Claims.

This invention relates to wire stitching machines, and especially to the clinching mechanism of such machines. Its chief object is to enable a plunger clinching device to be employed in cases where the restrictions imposed by limiting dimensions have hitherto precluded the use of this type of clincher. It is particularly valuable in the case of machines provided with blade or tongue anvils which have to function in very restricted spaces. Such anvils are provided with either a functionally immobile, suitably profiled, clinching die, or with pivoted swivel clinchers. Both have serious practical disadvantages in certain classes of work, which are overcome by the adoption of a plunger clinching device, if this can be made available.

This present invention which is a continuation of application Serial No. 583,791, filed March 20, 1945, now abandoned, provides clinching mechanism that will be applicable to blade or tongue anvils and employs plunger clinching.

The term blade anvil used herein and in the appended claims is intended to refer to an anvil which has its dimensional extent along the line in which the stitch is driven reducedto the minimum construction possible, and the smaller this minimum the better adapted it will be to its functional purpose as a blade or tongue.

In order that the present invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effeet, the same will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blade anvil according to the invention,

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line IIII of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure is a plan view similar to Figure 1 except that certain parts are removed,

Figure 4A is a section on the line IV-IVa of Figure 4,

Figure 5 is a perspective view corresponding to Figure 4,

Figures 6, '7, 8, 9 and 10 are all perspective views of parts of the mechanism which co-operate and these figures may be collectively regarded as a single exploded view,

Figure 11 is a perspective view of anactuating element, and,

Figures 12 and 13 are sectional details illustrating the clinching action of the mechanism.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the clinching plunger. 7

,- Figure 15 is a side view of the structure shown side of the anvil body I has a further groove '4 which opens into the groove 2. As shown best in Figures 4 and 5, the groove 4 has a portion 4A at the location of which there is an aperture in the anvil body. Beyond the portion or region 4A the groove 4 extends within the anvil body in such manner as to leave a thin platform 5 lying parallel to and below the level of the shelf 3. Because of the continuation of the groove I to form the platform 5, the shelf 3 is mainly centrally gapped having side portions 6 and I. Both the side portions 6 and I are apertured as at 8 and 9 (see particularly Figs. 4, 4a and 5).

The groove 4 accommodates the principal actuating member III of any well-known reciprocating driving mechanism, such mechanism be ing, for example, of the kind that positively moves the member It in a direction towards the right as seen in Figs. 1 or 2, against the action of a spring which returns the member It) in a direction towards the left as seen in the said figures. The reciprocating mechanism is well known, and forms no part of the present invention. As will be obvious from Fig. 2, the extent of translational movement of the actuating member II] will be limited by the extent of the region A of the groove 4. The upper side of the member II] has a lap connection with an actuating element II. The element II slides on the platform 5 between the side portions 5 and l of the shelf 3, and this element I I has a neck I2 which is flared out to form inclined working surfaces I3, ISA (see Fig. 11). The working surfaces I3, ISA are inclined in the sense that they lie obliquely across the length of the actuating element II, as seen best in Fig. 2.

The upper groove 2 of the anvil body I, receives several elements which are held in position by two retaining plates I and I5. Th retaining plates I4 and I5 are secured permanently in position in the groove 2 as by means of rivets (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2), both the retaining plates being seated upon the shelf 3. Each retaining plate is recessed at one end, as at I6 and I1, for respective co-operation with guide members I8 and I9. The guide members possess guide faces 20 and 2| which are intended to act as guiding and bearing surfaces for the clinching plunger 22. When all the various parts of the anvil are assembled together, the guide members I8 and I9 lie in the position shown in Fig. 2. Each member has a tongue 23, 24 adapted to engage under the recessed portions I6 and I? of the associated retaining plates I5 and I 4. The guide surfaces 20 and 2| are each centrally apertured, so that the guide members have depending legs 25 and 26. The pairs of legs 25 and 23 seat in the apertures 8 and 9 of the anvil body I, each aperture receiving a leg from each pair. The lower sides of the tongues 23 and 24 seat upon the shelf 3 of the anvil body and the actuating being permitted between the pairs of legs 25 and.

26. There are wire-directing recesses 21 and '28 upon the guide members l8. and i9.

As will be appreciated the clinching plunger 22 is received between the guidemembers l8 and I9, such plunger having a groove'sezforzen'gagecomplete.

ment with the inclined surface [3 of the actuating element H. The groove 35 as-seen in the sections of Figures 2, 12 and 13, has-an'inclined face 29, and as appears from Figure the side walls 38a of the groove converge towards one In assembling the blade anvil described above,

it is. initially assumed that the actuating element I! has been connected to the actuating member ll! as by riveting, and the actuating element has been introduced into the anvil body to occupy the position shown in Fig. 2, whilst the retaining plates 54 and i5 also have been located and fixed. From this point, the two guide members 18 and IS are inserted, beingfor this purpose introduced one at a time through the gap between the .retaining plates. The actuating element I! is now drawn in a direction towards the right-hand end f Figs. 1 and 2, until the neck I2 lies beneath the gap between the guide members i8 and I9. The element ll now occupies a position where it lies beyond the extent of its normal working or sliding movement. The clinching plunger 22 is .inserted between the guide members, so that the groove 30 therein engages over the neck [2 of the element 9 l. The latter is now .released and travels back under the spring associated with the reciprocating mechanism, such travel causing the working faces [3A to engage the walls 39A of the v-groove 3%! of the clinching plunger. The bladeanvil is now ready for use, and reciprocation of the element ll during its usual operating cycle (from left to right Figure 2) causes the inclined face is cooperating with the inclined face 29 of the plunger 22 to raise the plunger to clinch the staple. On the return movement of the element ii, the flared out portions I3A cooperate with the side walls 30A of the groove St) to depress the plunger.

It is important to realise that the bearing surfaces. offered to the clinching plunger by the guide members l8 and I9, are comparatively great and therefore ensure steady workingof the clinching plunger. The steadiness of the plunger in its clinching action is usually a decisive factor in successful wire-stitching. With the mechanism of the invention a maximum guiding area 60 is afforded to the plunger by the guide members whose guiding surfaces extend substantially over the whole dimensional extent of the anvil body along lines parallel to the direction of working movement of the plunger.

In the employment of the blade anvil so far described. two pieces of sheet material M (Figs. 12 and 13) may be stitched together with wire stitches S. Initially the stitches S are in the form of staples, as seen in Fig. 2. A staple is driven through the assembled sheets M until the legs of the staple extend through the sheets and enter the wire-directing recesses 2:! and 28, which cause the legs to be bent in the manner indicated in Fig. 12. At this stage of operation,

. 4 "When inow the .Lactuatingtelement H is thrust towards the right-hand end of the anvil (as seen in say, Fig. 2) the plunger 22 rises and the extremities of the legs of the wire stitch are guided into .thetarecessial, so that they are carried to oc- "cupy the position shown in Fig. 13. The stitch has now ;:been .clinched and the operation is :To withdraw the plunger 22 and the guide members 18 and 9,it is necessary only to move .the actuating element H to a position somewhat beyond its norm'al extent of automatic movement to the right (as seen in Fig. 2), whereupon the plunger 22 can be lifted from the neck l2. Thereafter .the guide .members l8 and 19 can be removed one at a time, utilising the gap vacated 'by'the plunger 22. The easy removal of theparts indicated, is a'great advantage since theseparts become most rapidly'worn in the use of the anvil, :and require periodic replacement.

.I claim:

'1. .A blade or tongue anvil fora wire stitching machine comprising an anvil body, a clinching plunger mounted in'said anvil body for performingreciprocating clinching movements in a direction substantially perpendicular to the working face oftthe anvil, an actuating member movable in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said plunger, means permitting transmission of motion from the actuating member to said plunger, a pair of side guides adapted to receive said plunger between them, means to permit said actuating member to pass therethrough and impart working movements to said plunger.

2. A blade or tongue .anvil for a wire stitching machine comprising an anvil body, a clinching plunger mounted in said anvil body for performing reciprocating clinching movements in a direction substantially perpendicular to the working face of the anvil, an actuating member movable'in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said plunger, means permitting transmission of motion from the actuating member to said plunger, a pair of side guides adapted to receive said plunger between them, openings in said side guides to permit said actuating member to pass therethrough and impart Working movements to said plunger.

3. A blade or tongue anvil for a wire stitching machine comprising an anvil body, a clinching plunger mounted in said anvil body for performing reciprocating clinching movements in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to the working'face ofthe anvil, an actuating member movablelin a direction transverse to the direction of movement of said plunger, means permitting transmission of motion from theactuating mem ber to said plunger, a pair of side guides adapted toreceive said plunger between them and having openings .to permit said actuating member to pass therethrough and impart working movements to said plunger, and bearing surfaces for .saidplunger uponsaidzside guides extending over substantially the whole dimensional extent of the anvil -.B,101'lg lines parallel with the working travel of said plunger.

WILFRED KIRBY.

REFERENCES CITED The following'references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 

